We slept okay and were up and packed and checked out in a reasonable time. We had done some research on breakfast options and there were a couple of places to try. The first one, an independent coffee shop, didn't look to have much to offer, so we did an about turn and headed to the other options, the Dae Break Cafe.
It really didn't look much from the outside but the number of trucks gave us confidence that it could be a good place. Once we got inside, we could see that the locals were all there, so it had to be a good place - and it was. We had huge platefuls, including the most delicious light and fluffy biscuits, and listened to the four old guys at the next table talking about flu shots and college football. If you have read C.J. Box's Joe Pickett books, this place was the Burg-o-pardner!
Suitably stuffed, we set off for Shiloh Battlefield. Our civil war history was somewhat sketchy but fortunately we were just in time for a Ranger talk on the lead up to the battle where the Union army, led by Grant and Buell, fought the Confederate army, led by Johnston and Beauregard. It was a long and very bloody battle with huge numbers of casualties, the largest number of any American battle up to that point.
We also saw a couple of armadillos scurrying around which was quite a surprise - they aren't native to Tennessee but the population is growing. We weren't quick enough to get any pictures though.
We went into the visitor centre and watched a film about the battle, which was really well done and we felt like we had learned a lot.
After Shiloh, we got back on the road to drive to Memphis. We were enjoying the scenery, even if we did see a number of confederate flags around the place
. As part of the Bible Belt, there are lots of churches around as well and we wondered sometimes how such small communities managed to support so many churches in one place.
We also spotted a number of huge signs, some of which were slightly Simpson's-like, eg "Hot? Hell is Hotter!" or "Sedation Dentist - we cater for cowards" or my personal favourite, outside a college "Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, 9/10 of our grads earn more than you!"
We called at the Walmart in Bolivar and got some flip flops for Evan - both of which were the same size this time - result!
In Memphis, we were staying at the Comfort Inn Downtown. Memphis was expensive but this was one of the best value that we found, and the parking was only(!) $10 dollars a day. It wasn't hard to find and we got a warm welcome - and free cookies - hurrah! We had a nice big room and after settling in, we went for a swim in the rooftop pool - the other reason for booking this hotel!
The pool wasn't large but had great views across to Mud Island and the Mississippi River.
After a couple of busy days, including a fair amount of travelling, it was good to stay put for a few nights. We are fine with an amount of 1 night stops, and often, those places don't need a longer stay, but it is nice to have a longer stay sometimes.
After a swim and some chilling time, we got dressed to head into Memphis. It was about a 10 minute walk to Main Street, where we stopped for a beer, before walking a little further to a restaurant that had been recommended: The Flying Fish.
Fried Catfish is a southern staple and the Flying Fish is all about the catfish. You order at the counter and get a buzzer that goes off when your food is ready. We all went for the fried catfish with sides of hush puppies, fries and slaw, and took our drinks to the table. The beers were served in HUGE frozen glasses that I could barely lift, let alone carry to the table.
The food was ready before too long and we had a great meal. I love restaurants like this - they don't do a lot of different things, but rather they do a few things very well. They also had an awesome hot sauce, Melinda's, that Evan is holding.
Hannah also enjoyed the catfish.
After a very satisfying meal, we strolled to Beale Street, the home of the Blues in Memphis. There was music coming out of every bar but even with the amount of bars and people, it has a nice chilled atmosphere. I don't know if it gets a bit more shady later at night, but we were fine to be there with the kids. There were also cops on Segways which was amusing and reassuring. We had a look at it all and took some pictures, enjoying the fact that we were "Walking in Memphis, with our feet ten feet off of Beale"!
The downside was that, due to licensing laws, we couldn't take the kids into most of the bars to hear music. We did find one, however, with an outside patio where we could sit and listen to music. I can't remember the name of it, unfortunately, but it wasn't far from BB Kings.
We enjoyed the music for a while before wandering back to the hotel and settling down for the night.